{postcards from italy~Sapori di Napoli}

I am currently in London, where it's much cooler & the sun seems to shine a little less intensely & a little less brightly than Naples. Still, the memories are fresh & there's much more to tell, encore. For this blog entry, I'm calling it 'sapori di Napoli' or flavours of Naples. You'll get some delightful images of the tastes of the south...

{a daily staple}

{the markets where you can get fresh food-anything from fruits & veggies to seafood}

{shops selling the necessities of wine, pasta & bread}

{gelato anyone?}

{a very old little cioccolateria-technically a chocolate shoppe but serves as a sweet/pastry shop}

{detail of above}

{typical to Italy are these pastiglie-I merely love them for their packaging}

{these lovely almond goodies were for sale on Capri...}

{...& lemon ones}

{& other delicacies in the same shop}

{also a daily must--spritz! see my post here}

{or prosecco...spritz & prosecco usually fight for my attention at happy hour-it's hard to choose between them}

stay tuned for more...
ciao,
L

{London-style files}

{via think-shoot}

{via design taxi}

I'm going to get my hair cut tomorrow. There's a little hidden secret that few people are aware of. If you go to Tony & Guy academy on Oxford St. near Tottenham Court road tube station you can get a student to cut your hair for 5 quid. It sounds scary, I know, but honestly, I've never had such a good haircut in my life. so tomorrow I'm going to get my hair cut.

London is full of great style. I think it's kind of ironic...or maybe it's suiting that where I did my Masters (the Courtauld Institute of Art, part of Somerset House) is often one of the sites for London Fashion Week:

{via debenhams}

{via econe}

{via zimbio}

{via self service uk}

I'm going crazy for all the sales & great deals right now in the UK. I've bought some great little finds which I'll talk about soon.
But for now, my hair conundrum. Right now my hair is long--my thick fringe has grown out & I'm at a loss of what to do:

 So...I'm looking forward to having some talented up&coming stylist decide on what they're going to do to my hair. What do you think?...maybe I"ll come out of there tomorrow with long layered tresses like this:

{via kacee and ceeceepr}

or maybe a sleek, thick, fringe-look:

{via new hairstyle gallery}

we'll see!

{celebrations in Leeds}

So I spent this past weekend/early start of the week in Leeds in lovely company. The most exciting part, we were celebrating the viva (PhD defense) of our friend Lara, now Dr. Egg! I stayed with my dear friends, Sylvie & Alex (which has become a tradition on my trips to the UK in the last few years).
On Monday, Syl & I went shopping, walking around Leeds & catching up...

{gorgeous shopping arcades in Leeds}

{we were ladies who lunch--we went to lunch at the gorgeous cafe attached to the art gallery}

 Monday night was spent drinking champagne to toast Lara, and then post-champagne drinks & supper at a funky little spot called the reliance...

{syl & me out celebrating Lara's huge achievement}

{YAY! Congrats Dr!!!}

So proud of you Lara, & hope to see all of you Leeds-folks again soon.
More on merry England & travels in Italy to come...

{off to Leeds}

{via d*s}

I'm off to Leeds this morning to visit my dear friend Sylvie, and also my friends Lara & Alex. So looking forward to it. Leeds has become a regular spot on my UK itinerary in the past few years. I love the beautiful 19th-century buildings, the shopping arcades, & the nearby towns. Leeds is in Yorkshire--home to the Bronte sisters, & so much more. For a guide, check out Design*sponge's suggestions here.

{Leeds shopping arcades}

{Yorkshire countryside}

{syl&me enjoying a walk}

I'll be back soon,

xo

L

{greetings from Merry ol'}

Well, hello from Merry England! I've been here a week but have been ever so busy with friends & family. I have still much to write about from Italy travels, but wanted to pop in & say that I haven't forgot about you! Today I spent the day in the British Library. Anyone who knows me well knows I love libraries. There's something about being in the British Library--not only being able to get your hands on old texts all under one roof, but there's an excitement or a vibe you get from just walking about, knowing that there are tons of learned souls all in one building. and on top of that, 1000s more present in the phantoms that haunt the shelves...text after text of well-known authors & supreme minds of the past. Heaven! While I'm not particularly fond of modern buildings, but the BL is a gem.

{lovely old books exposed to those who work below}

Well I spent my first weekend here with my family in Essex--long country walks, visits to lovely grand estates, and many yummy meals. So happy to have seen my darling cousins Choo & Liz, my 3rd cousin, Mike (I think or is it cousin thrice removed?--it gets complicated)  and my cousins' friends the Weatherups who are always great company.
Here are just a few photos to give you an idea of what I've been up to:

{my cousins taking in the sun on a walk  the first evening landing in merry ol' england}

{me taking in the (rare) english sun}

{cousins before lovely old estate}

{said lovely old estate --future home of Dr. Tinza?}

{me in an english country garden}

{england's green & pleasant land}

{me & a very old building in the lovely town of Thaxted}

{think pink!}

{dressing up in the horse stables}

{more english country gardens}

{smoking cigars at a bbq at the weatherups}

more to come for sure!!